A helicopter carrying out a wildfire-fighting mission crashed into a river in Indonesia’s South Kalimantan, killing one crew member and leaving two foreign nationals injured.

The Indonesian disaster mitigation agency said the deceased was an Indonesian crew member, Yayan Supyansuri. An Australian and a New Zealander aboard the aircraft were rescued and taken to hospital for treatment. The cause of the crash is under investigation, but firefighting operations will continue, the agency said on Sunday.

According to the BBC, footage showed the helicopter hovering over a river with a water bucket before suddenly plunging into the water. Rescue teams later reached the partially submerged aircraft by boat.

The Super Puma H-225 was operated by a company contracted by disaster authorities for firefighting operations, an official told AFP.

The crash came just days after another helicopter went down during a similar operation in Central Kalimantan, killing three crew members.

Indonesia has been battling severe wildfires across forests and peatlands, with prolonged dry conditions worsened by El Niño making the blazes harder to contain. Thick toxic haze has spread across parts of Indonesia, Malaysia and Singapore, raising serious public health concerns.

Australia and other foreign governments have provided assistance, with Canberra deploying aircraft and 20 personnel, including pilots and paramedics, to support Indonesia's firefighting efforts.

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